Improvement in apparatus foe tanning hides



o. 82 ,-815. 'PATENTED OCT. 6, 1868. G. EATON. APPARATUS FOR TANNINGHIDES.

ALBERT G. EATON, ore'o'vssNsus. NEW-YORK.

Letters Patent No. 82,815, dated October 6, 1868.--

IMPROVEMENT m ArPARATus roe TANNING RIDES.

TO ALL WHOM 11 MAY GONOERNz- Be it known that LIALBnM- G. EATON, ofGoverneur,-in the county of St. Lawrence, and-State of 'New' Y rk hav-einvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for TanningHides or Leather; and I do hereby declare the following to bee.full,cl'ear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe jaccompanyting drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure l representsa top plan of thevat and apparatus forcirculating the tanning-liquor.

Figure 2.represents a vertical longitudinal section through the same,and

Figures 3nd 4 represent, respectively, a side view and section ofthefiltering and valve-hoses for straining and circulating thetanning-liquid. I V

' Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separatefigures, denote like parts in all of them. 7

.My invention consists, in conjunction-with the moving of the hides orleather in the tanning-liquid, the agitating and throwing up, by forcedmeans, -o"r" th'e tanning-liquid from the bottom of the vat to thesurface, so as to equalize, by mixing, the strength ,of such liquid, andthus attain more uniformity in the quality of the tanning of theivholeskin, hide, or side ofleather. i

Toe'nahle others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with 'reference to' the drawings, firstpremisin'g that-I am aware that an agitator has been workedin the bottomof a vat for-circulating the liquid therein; but though such agitatormay circulate the heavier and stronger liquid at thelbottom," itdoes'not main up to and'canse it to mix with the lighterand lessstrong'liquid atthe ear face, and the resultof this properly anduniformly mixing of the liquids and changing them from bottom to top isveiy appareutjn the uniform quality of the tanning, whilst the absenceof it leaves portions of the leather but in'difl'erently tanned, andstrealc'y, ini appearance. I i Y I am also aware that the tanning-liquidhasbeen pumped opt of one vat into the next adjacent one, where, aseries of processes, with liquids of reduced strength, is'used, as inmorocco-tanning or deessing; but neither .55 these things accomplisheswhat I do by my plan, which is'not' only circulating the liquid at thebottom of the vat, but raising the heavy, strong liquor from the lowerpart of the vat, and mixing-it with the less strong at the surface, andin so doing to throw, if deemed important to do so, the heavy liquid inspray, jets, or column, on to or against the suspended hides, and thusvery much expedite and improve the process; v a

A represents" a vat, made in any of the usual ways, and of suchdimensions as may be preferred, and B represents the framework upon orwithin which the appliances and vat may be placed- Within the vat A i s'a"f rame, O, which is .so supported as that itizuay be vibrated orrocked 'on its supports by a lever, D, connected toit at the points at,or by any other well-know'n means. This frame C is quadrangular in form,and nearly of the size of the interior of the van, or just enough,smaller-to allow it to rock or vibrate therein. -A central cross-piece,E, is attached permanently to the side-pieces of the'frame, and underthis cross-piece the'supports' F, on which the frame is hung, may beplaced, and pins or" studs, c,'in the sides of thelvat, may-pass intocurved slots, d, in the ends of saidc'ross-piece, (as seen in theseparate sketch atthe t'op oi 2,) to prevent it andthe frame from risingor leaving its supports. At ornear each end of theframe C .there is aroller-bar, G, to which hooks e are fastened for-suspending the hidesto, as also to the bar E, for the same ipurpose These roller-bars G haveeach a handle, f, by'which theymay b3 turned on their journals bearings,for placing theihides thereon, and then :m straining them 7 up, and whenthus stretched or'strained, up, a key or'wedge, g, is pu t id betweenthe roller and frame, which firmlyQholds the roller from turning. On thebottom of the vat I arrange circulating-pumps, as seen mere distinctlyat H H, in fig. 2, and liftingpumps I, one of which is seen als'oinfig.2. I have represented two circulating-pumps at or near the centre ofthe vat, and two lifting pumps,'one at each side of the bottom of thevat. I do not, of course, restrict myself to these locations, or thenumber of pumps mentioned, as they may be changed. Each'pump has ascreening box, J, or filterer, annexed to i't, to prevent the barkorother crude material in the tanning-liquor from getting into andclogging the pumps;

The circulating-pumps H are hung upon rocker shafts K K, which serve forhinges for the plunger! L to work on. The free ends of these hingedplungers L are connected by rods h h to opposite ends of thevibratingframe Q, sothatds these ends alternately rise and fall, thepumps will be alternately worked. The plungers L have holes throughthem, so that when they are forced down, the liquid in the pump-chamberwill be forced out through said 'holes, a nd thus be kept in agitationat the bottom of thej vat. The filtcrers or screened, figs. 3, 4, arefurnished with holes for theliqu'id to pass through, and there is apartitiomj, inside of them,with an opening, Zr, thrdugh it, covered by avaliie, 2, on the side thereof next to the pump, so, that whentheplungers are raised up the liquid is free to be strained and passthrough into the pump-chamber; and when the plungers arebroughhdo'v'vn,the valve 11 is closed, and the; contents of the pump-chamber puls s thrugh the openings in the plu.nger,-or, as in the case of thelifting-pumps to be yet described, to be forced u;'p through the tube ortrunk tothe surface.

, The lifting-pumps I have a long hinged plunger, supported on aroller,Z, at one end of the vat. The other end of the plunger is connected tothe rocking-frame C by a rod, m, and at this nd,the re is a verticaltube or trunk, M,-up,-whicb the liquid is forced, and, by means ofa hoseor tube, N, may bizjthrown on to the hi des in column, or in jets, asshown at 0, and thhs the hides are moved up and down, the liquidagitated, and raised from the bottom of the vet and mixed, arid therebymaking it of uniform strength throughout the vat.

I'have shown the pump-plungers as connected to and worked by the frametowhich the hides are suspended. .They, m'ay be worked bymeansindependent of the frame containing the hides, 'as,follows:

A crankbar or rod, P, may be hung on the main frame inhea'rings, inwhich it may be rocked by a rod, n, connecting it,to the lever D, orotherwise, and' to this bar the pump-rods may be connected as at 0'.Another rock-shafnQ, at theother end of the main frame, may be. drivenfrom that, P, by a pitman, R, and tlle'crnj'n ldarm S and crank-wristatp, and the'pumlps be worked from this rock-shaft Q, or the whole ofthe movements maybe transmittedby anyLfast-moving powcr applied toeither of the rock-shafts PQ. V

The hides ar'e'rcprcsented, by re'djlines in figs.. 1 and 2, as hookedto the bars E G and to each. The forcing 'or throwing of thetanning'diquid against the hides whilst they are in motion, causes themto plump" and color," and saves the-expense of'doing the piumping andcoloringby a separate operation. The straining of the hides on theframes -'puts them in' the best possible condition for admitting thetanning-liquid 'intb the pores, and when thus strained and theliq-uid isforced against the hides, the strength of'the jet or column of liquidthus thrown issufiicient to vibrate-or swing the hides, and also toagitate the liquid into which they are dipped. y

Having thus fully described my invention, I would state that am awarethat apump outside of a vat for raising the liquid has been used, andthat false vats, with valves, have been used. These l do not claim; but

What I do claim herein as new, and desire'to secure; by Letters Patent,is l 1. In combination with vatsfor tanning hides, a series of liftingpu m ps, arranged in and operated at the bottom ofthe vet, for raisingthe heavierfand stronger liquids from the bottom to the top eft'he vat,and thus by mixing render it of more uniform strength throughdut,substantially as described.

2. Also, in tanning hides, the throwing of the tanning-liquid againstthe hides, suspended in the air by' a force-pump,-or in a forced columnor spray or jet, substantially described.

3. Also, in combination with a series of pumpmarranged in and operatedat the bottom of tho vat for raising the liquid in the bottom of the vatto the surface, an agitating or circulating-pump,also arranged in andoperated'at the bottom of the vat,'for keeping the liquid mixed there,and of uniform strength, substantially as described.

4. Also, in combination with a series of hides suspended iua vat, and attimes dipped into the liquid and then raised therefrom and suspended inthe air,-a circulating and a lifting-pump, or two or more of each,operated by or withlthe vibrating-frame, carrying said hides,substantially as described.

' ALBERT G. EATON Witnesses;

' G. L. VAN Names, WM. H. Aupasws.

